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Andrew Crook

WASHINGTON—The 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers has joined the NAACP’s landmark lawsuit against the Trump administration’s cruel and callous cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Today, the AFT formally joined the suit as a plaintiff, filing an amended complaint in federal court to bring its organizational resources and experience to the fight to defend Dreamers attacked by the administration’s decision to end DACA. DACA permits undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to work and live free from the threat of deportation.

The suit argues that that the termination of the DACA program violates the Constitution and other laws of the United States, and as such calls for an immediate halt to the rescission and requests an order prohibiting the government from using information to identify, detain or deport DACA recipients.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union also joined the case.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “We are joining this lawsuit because the pain and frustration caused by the Trump administration’s decision to attack DACA recipients in the only country they have ever known cannot be allowed to stand. DACA recipients embody the hope and aspiration that unites this country; they work hard and play by the rules to build a better life.

“By terminating DACA, President Trump is exploiting fear, pandering to those who want to scapegoat immigrants and using DACA recipients as a political football. The AFT will use every legal and practical tool at our disposal to ensure Dreamers continue to thrive in the country they proudly call home.”

AFT members throughout the country have received work permits through the DACA program and serve the public in healthcare and education. Furthermore, AFT members teach students who have received DACA status. DACA students contribute to the diversity of experience and perspectives in classrooms, engage in valuable research projects, and play key leadership roles in student life.

The AFT has a long-standing history of supporting and advocating for the civil rights of our members and the communities they serve.

The AFT and the NAACP will be represented by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC in the matter. The NAACP filed its initial suit on Sept. 18.

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The AFT represents 1.7 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

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The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.